The UK's transport secretary recently said that we might see driverless cars on the roads by the end of 2026. He even mentioned that by then, people who own these cars might not have to pay attention to the road while driving. The government wants to make new laws to allow automated driving in the UK, but some people worry that if the technology isn't ready, it could cause serious accidents.
The transport secretary thinks it's really important to have rules in place to keep everyone safe. He's seen driverless cars being used in California and thinks they're pretty cool. He hopes that the new laws will be ready by the end of 2024, and that by 2026, we'll start seeing cars that can drive themselves. He also thinks this technology could make the roads safer for everyone.
In the US and China, they've been testing cars that can drive themselves for a while now. But in the UK, we've been more careful about using this technology. Some cars have a feature that helps the driver stay in their lane and follow traffic, but the driver still has to keep their hands on the wheel and watch the road. Only one car, the Ford Mustang Mach E, lets drivers take their hands off the wheel on certain parts of the motorway, but they still have to keep their eyes on the road.
When someone from Ford was asked if we could have a car that drives us home from the pub, they said it's not possible yet. They think the technology, software, and rules need to get better, and we also need to think about if people will accept and be able to afford these cars.
In summary, the UK government wants to have driverless cars on the roads by the end of 2026. The transport secretary thinks this technology can make the roads safer, but we need to make sure it's safe before we use it. They're working on making new laws for this, but we still have a lot of things to figure out before we can have cars that drive themselves.
Original news source: Driverless cars: Tech possible for UK motorways by 2026, transport secretary says (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and give each group a copy of the article. Have them read the article together and then summarize the main points in a short news report. Each group can then present their news report to the class.
– Mind Map
Instructions: Write the topic "Driverless Cars" on the board and ask students to brainstorm related words, phrases, and ideas. Encourage them to make connections and add more branches to their mind maps. After a few minutes, have students share their mind maps with a partner or the whole class, explaining their thought process and connections.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Select 10-15 key vocabulary words from the article and write them on separate pieces of paper. Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of vocabulary words. One student from each group will pick a word and draw a picture to represent the word, while the other students in the group try to guess the word. The group that guesses the most words correctly wins.
– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Pair up the students and give each pair a copy of the article. Set a timer for 5 minutes and have the students take turns summarizing the article to their partner. After the 5 minutes are up, ask the students to switch roles and summarize again, this time trying to be more concise. Repeat this process one more time, challenging the students to summarize the article in just 1 minute.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups and give each group a copy of the article. Ask each group to discuss the pros and cons of driverless cars, based on the information in the article. After a few minutes, have each group share their ideas with the class and facilitate a class discussion on the topic. Encourage students to support their arguments with evidence from the article.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
The UK's transport secretary said that we might see driverless cars on the roads by the end of 2026.
The government wants to make new laws to allow automated driving in the UK to keep everyone safe and ensure that the technology is ready before it is used.
The transport secretary thinks that driverless cars being used in California are pretty cool.
They have been testing cars that can drive themselves in the US and China for a while now.
Some cars have a feature that helps the driver stay in their lane and follow traffic.
The Ford Mustang Mach E lets drivers take their hands off the wheel on certain parts of the motorway.
Someone from Ford said that it's not possible yet to have a car that drives us home from the pub. They think the technology, software, and rules need to get better, and we also need to think about if people will accept and be able to afford these cars.
The UK government wants to have driverless cars on the roads by the end of 2026.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
The UK's transport recently said that we might see driverless cars on the roads by the end of 2026. He even mentioned that by then, people who own these cars might not have to pay attention to the road while . The government to make new laws to allow automated driving in the UK, but some people worry that if the technology isn't ready, it could cause accidents. The transport secretary thinks it's really important to have rules in place to keep everyone safe. He's seen driverless cars being used in and thinks they're pretty cool. He hopes that the new laws will be by the end of 2024, and that by 2026, we'll seeing cars that can drive themselves. He also thinks this could make the roads safer for everyone. In the US and China, they've been testing cars that can drive themselves for a while now. But in the UK, we've been more careful about using this technology. Some cars have a feature that helps the driver stay in their lane and follow , but the driver still has to keep their on the wheel and watch the road. Only one car, the Ford Mustang Mach E, lets drivers take their hands off the wheel on parts of the motorway, but they still have to keep their eyes on the road. When someone from Ford was if we could have a car that drives us home from the pub, they said it's not possible yet. They think the technology, software, and need to get better, and we also need to think about if people will accept and be able to afford these cars. In summary, the UK government wants to have driverless cars on the roads by the end of 2026. The transport secretary thinks this technology can make the roads , but we need to make sure it's safe before we use it. They're on new laws for this, but we still have a lot of things to figure out before we can have cars that drive themselves.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is a driverless car?
2. How would you feel if you saw a car driving itself on the road?
3. Do you think driverless cars will become popular in the future? Why or why not?
4. How do you think driverless cars could make the roads safer?
5. What are some potential benefits of having driverless cars?
6. How do you think driverless cars could change the way we live and work?
7. Do you like the idea of having a car that can drive itself? Why or why not?
8. What are some concerns or risks associated with driverless cars?
9. How do you think driverless cars could impact the job market?
10. Have you ever seen a driverless car in your country? If yes, what was your reaction?
11. How do you think driverless cars could affect the environment?
12. Do you think driverless cars will be affordable for most people? Why or why not?
13. What do you think needs to happen before driverless cars can be safely used on the roads?
14. Would you trust a driverless car to take you to your destination? Why or why not?
15. How do you think driverless cars could change the way we travel and commute?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
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Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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